The premiere of the interactive, educational, theatre play for young people “Open-Minded Me” and the promotion of the project of the same name were held today at the Youth Centre in Banja Luka. The exchange followed the play that points out to the need of facing our own prejudices and stereotypes.
“In addition to its educational objective, it is very important for us that both the theatre play and the exchange we initiate after the play are entertaining, interesting and close to young people in the audience. We wish that young people come back from our play to their schools and homes feeling that they have learned something, changed their mind-set but also that they had fun and laugh at the same time. Addressing their prejudices is the objective, especially when it comes to the topics that we don’t know much about or the people that are different from us in any way, ”explained Dijana Pejić, executive director of the Genesis Project.
This theatre play is specially adapted for communication with the target age group of young people (14 to 17) from Laktaši, Banja Luka, Gradiška, Kozarska Dubica and Prijedor where the play will be also performed.
“It is our pleasure to perform this play and to point out in this unique way to a serious problem that young people are generally unaware of, which is prejudice and stereotypes. We want to increase the awareness and understanding of young people about the potential threats that arise from them and we hope that we will succeed in that, ”said Draško Stojčević from the Genesis Project, who has one of the main roles in the play.
Andreas, a 9th grade pupil from “Branko Ćopić” primary school in Banja Luka, had only words of praise after the show.
“A great play to break the prejudices that people talk about a lot nowadays and they really have no idea!” said Andreas. His teachers also agreed with him, who after the play concluded that its message and the storyline covered all the segments of real life.
The “Open-Minded Me” project is enabled with the support of the UN IOM/USAID/BHRI, which allows the pupils of the selected primary and secondary schools to see the educational and entertaining theatre play free of charge at the municipal cultural centres in Banja Luka, Gradiška, Kozarska Dubica, Prijedor and Laktaši.
The show will be performed 30 times by the end of the project and it is planned to be seen by a minimum of 2250 students.
